STALKER: An exercise in masochism?

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ibex333

Diamond Member
Mar 26, 2005
4,094
123
106
I've loved all the Stalker games personally. Excellent games all around made even better with the complete mods

Agreed 100%. It also helps that I was born in Ukraine, in former Soviet Union. I was about 6 when the Chernobyl disaster happened. I saw the original STALKER movie by Andrei Tarkovsky and I am looking forward to reading the book.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stalker_(film)

I loved every STALKER game and finished them all, but I thought CoP was too damn short and only lets you play with automatic guns too late in the game when they dont matter anymore. Clear Sky felt like an unfinished product, but was absolutely awesome nevertheless, and full of humor. SoC was the most "complete" game feel wise, but left too many questions unanswered in the end... I am looking forward to installing graphics mods and replaying the whole series.
 

Rifter

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
11,522
751
126
I agree, i tried to get into it many times, tried some mods but in the end its a crappy buggy game. The accuracy and power of the weapons is just pathetic, the AI is super human and can all see in pitch black without nightvision for 1000+ meters and they can shoot through walls and cover sometimes, there are huge clipping issues in this game. I like realistic FPS games, i loved rainbow 6 and am very used to realistic shooters with no auto aim and whatnot but the guns in this game(at the beggining anyways, never played more than a hour or two in) are so inaccurate its literally impossible to have a functioning firearm that missis the crosshairs by as much as in this game, the barrel would have to be bent and then it would not fire. I might give it one more shot if i can find a way to fix the accuracy and clipping issues but im not holding my breath.
 

stag3

Diamond Member
Feb 7, 2005
3,623
0
76
yea it's definitely hard, and w/o the complete mod i would never have finished it, once you do get into it tho, it's really rewarding
 

Spike

Diamond Member
Aug 27, 2001
6,770
1
81
I can't wait for the next stalker. Though now that I think about it it's just about been enough time since playing CoP that I can fire it up for a second playthrough. Already finished the others a few times. I want more stalker

EDIT* Heh, forgot my on-topic comments.

For the OP it is a hard game(s) and thats what is fun about it. Yes, the vanilla version is buggy and even with the complete the game is confusing at first (it would been awesome to have had a "press 6 to throw bolts" flash on the screen instead of my dying in those anamolies a dozen times until I figured out how to throw bolts) but once you get the hang of it... it's amazing. The games are short, 25-30 hours each is what I've put into them, but those have been some of the best hours of gaming I've ever had. Just ask my wife, when CoP was announced and I showed her the trailer she asked when it was coming out so she could schedule time with her family/friends. She knew I was as good as gone
 
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RockinZ28

Platinum Member
Mar 5, 2008
2,171
49
101
Sigh. This is why we get the completely dumbed down console port jobs these days.

Stalker requires some skill and intuition. Can't just walk into an open field, spray and pray to kill 25 enemies shooting at their feet, all while absorbing 100 rounds of return fire and running behind a wall to auto-heal.

These games are easy on master difficulty for a real pc gamer. Sit down and read the damn manual if you require a tutorial.
 

Kristijonas

Senior member
Jun 11, 2011
859
4
76
Last time I play CoP, I played with Pentium 4 520 (2.8ghz) and geforce 8400gs. I can't wait to give it a try with my new gaming PC! I played on worst graphic settings and with lag O_O Now I will play with -everything- maxed. Also I will install mods if there are any. It's a really great game and much better than vanilla. It's disapointing to play vanilla after CoP! But i'd still give the original Stalker a 7. (8.5-9 to CoP)
 

Imp

Lifer
Feb 8, 2000
18,828
184
106
The first few hours are absolute piss-offs for all 3 games, but I loved each and every one of them.

Once you find an AK-74 with a scope, you're set for the entire game. Head shots are insta-kill.
 

PhatoseAlpha

Platinum Member
Apr 10, 2005
2,131
21
81
Stalker guns are actually pretty accurate. The player's avatar, however, is not.

Movement causes significant accuracy loss. This includes changing your aim - not just walking. Early on, you need to give you aim a moment to settle before you shoot.
 

toyota

Lifer
Apr 15, 2001
12,957
1
0
The reason being that you're wearing a leather jacket... maybe, just maybe.
yeah that must be it because they are wearing 12 inch armor plates.

I have spent MANY hours playing through STALKER and Clear Sky and many of the enemies can pick you off with ease. at the same time they basically laugh at the dozens of rounds I fire at them even when I am much closer. I get so tired of a few people acting like everyone else is just too stupid to play the game. the game is really unbalanced in many areas and the AI can be ridiculously good sharpshooters no matter the conditions or distance.
 

RockinZ28

Platinum Member
Mar 5, 2008
2,171
49
101
Man. Loot bodies and stashes, sell for money, buy better equipment. Find armor, find better guns, upgrade guns etc.

The beginning of the games are a little challenging with a pistol. All you have to do is find cover, lean out, and pop bandits in the face. You simply cannot just walk around in the open and drop 10 guys, unless you have excellent armor and guns.

As has been said, once you get a scoped assault rifle, the games are cake. Are you guys using xbox controllers or what?
 

Zenoth

Diamond Member
Jan 29, 2005
5,202
216
106
yeah that must be it because they are wearing 12 inch armor plates.

I have spent MANY hours playing through STALKER and Clear Sky and many of the enemies can pick you off with ease. at the same time they basically laugh at the dozens of rounds I fire at them even when I am much closer. I get so tired of a few people acting like everyone else is just too stupid to play the game. the game is really unbalanced in many areas and the AI can be ridiculously good sharpshooters no matter the conditions or distance.

I'm not disagreeing about the fact that most Stalkers in the game seem to take too many shots, nor about the fact that the A.I in all three Stalker games can reach both extremes (being barely existent, to being cheating Gods). But ALL the people I've seen complain about the Stalker games never made it past Cordon in SoC, or the Swamp in Clear Sky. Trying to judge Stalker after experiencing the very harsh early moments is doing themselves a disservice.

Once they get their hands on a Merc or Reinforced Suit, or a VSS Vintorez and fire two or three shots at a fully-armored Stalker to take him down they'll cry with joy, but they need to work their way there. Stalker doesn't feed the player like 90% of the fast-food FPS games we've been forced to play since the past couple of years, Stalker games are survival-horror games, your initial goal is to survive, and then later on you can start acting like you're somebody. With something like a SEVA Suit or an Exoskeleton players finally get to experience the other side of the medal and they become the ones who can seemingly take full clips of 'x', 'y' and 'z' weapons without much problem.

Granted, all three Stalker games have issues with A.I and overall game balance, but none of the issues in the game play much of a role against the player once the player actually tries to get through the initial mess and make its way to the powerful items. The only problem with that is that once you get the point where you're geared for full scale war the game is pretty much dealt with. That was fixed to some extent in Clear Sky, where you can get very good items early enough. I have yet to complete CoP so I can't comment on that one but the general balance in CoP is far better than it was in SoC from what I've experienced myself (and without modifications implied).

Overall, anyhow, Stalker games aren't easy, it's not for everyone, definitely. It's a love or hate relationship for a lot of players, I've rarely seen players claiming that Stalker games are "alright", it's usually either "very good" or "terribad". If there's players out there having issues with the balance in any of the three games then I'd recommend them checking for mods, although most of them make the game unstable (and it's not like it's entirely stable to start with by default, especially not SoC). I haven't actually played any of the three Stalkers in months, but I absolutely loved SoC which I completed two times, the first time being under vanilla settings (no mods), the second time months later with the AMK mod, but it was a pain since it kept crashing, but I still stubbornly made it to the end over a long period of time since the mod was so fun (but made the game a nightmare in terms of difficulty).
 

motsm

Golden Member
Jan 20, 2010
1,822
2
76
Pretty much every shooter released these days is extremely easy, so STALKER being slightly more challenging than your average console port isn't a problem. If you feel the need to complain about it's difficulty, than just realize the game isn't made for you. Besides, you aren't going to have a problem finding another shooter to play that will be a walk in the park.
 

Powermoloch

Lifer
Jul 5, 2005
10,084
4
76
After I installed the Stalker Complete, I head straight to the military complex to get myself some AK-47 (at the starting area). tough M'fers but it gets the job done.
 

Rifter

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
11,522
751
126
Pretty much every shooter released these days is extremely easy, so STALKER being slightly more challenging than your average console port isn't a problem. If you feel the need to complain about it's difficulty, than just realize the game isn't made for you. Besides, you aren't going to have a problem finding another shooter to play that will be a walk in the park.

My issue isnt with the difficulty, its the glitches that are gamebreaking IMO. Fix the accuracy(i mean really, i have fired less than 500 rounds from a pistol in my life and even i can keep under a 24" group at 20-30 feet, why cany my guy keep it under 5 feet?). Maybe the guns get better, i dunno, never made it far enough in the game because the glitches pissed me off to much i didnt think there was a point.

The clipping, and the AI ability to shoot through cover sometimes also need to be adressed. No way a guy with a AK(not a very accurate weapon) is getting kill shots from 100's of yards at night with no scope or nightvision, im sorry but thats just bad programming, the bot should not even be able to see you let alone shoot you with pinpoint accuracy. Thief managed to program good AI in regards to darkness/cover/hiding and bots being able to detect/see you so why cant stalker over 10 years later pull it off with 100's of times more CPU power at there disposal for the calculations.

These are all things that should/could have been addressed with patches and were not.
 

marmasatt

Diamond Member
Jan 30, 2003
6,576
22
81
My favorite FPS of all time. One of the best series ever created. Very immersive. You have to stick with it.

Once they get their hands on a Merc or Reinforced Suit, or a VSS Vintorez and fire two or three shots at a fully-armored Stalker to take him down they'll cry with joy, but they need to work their way there. Stalker doesn't feed the player like 90% of the fast-food FPS games we've been forced to play since the past couple of years, Stalker games are survival-horror games, your initial goal is to survive, and then later on you can start acting like you're somebody
 

BFG10K

Lifer
Aug 14, 2000
22,709
3,002
126
I get so tired of a few people acting like everyone else is just too stupid to play the game.
I’ve finished SoC 3 times, CS twice, and CoP once. If you can’t finish it then you’re playing it wrong or using a too high difficulty level.

Things like bullet trajectories, weapon stats, gear upgrades, artifacts and stamina all factor into your ability to move and fight. This is not a console kiddie FPS; you have to understand the mechanics of the game to do well.

Don’t expect to dominate the zone with the starting pistol and leather jacket. That ain’t gonna happen. But once you get a good suit, a full belt of artifacts and scoped assault rifles using armor piercing rounds, you’ll become a zone master.
 

toyota

Lifer
Apr 15, 2001
12,957
1
0
I’ve finished SoC 3 times, CS twice, and CoP once. If you can’t finish it then you’re playing it wrong or using a too high difficulty level.

Things like bullet trajectories, weapon stats, gear upgrades, artifacts and stamina all factor into your ability to move and fight. This is not a console kiddie FPS; you have to understand the mechanics of the game to do well.

Don’t expect to dominate the zone with the starting pistol and leather jacket. That ain’t gonna happen. But once you get a good suit, a full belt of artifacts and scoped assault rifles using armor piercing rounds, you’ll become a zone master.
I know exactly how to play and what to expect from the series. why do I have to keep repeating my main gripes over and over? post #40 mentions some the same things I have said multiple times in this thread.
 

stag3

Diamond Member
Feb 7, 2005
3,623
0
76
not a problem toyota, the game is not your cup of tea, we respect that. for others it's one of the best fps's we've ever played. i know it was for me, and i used to be a die hard quake player. it being so hard is what i actually liked. I am about to start COP soon now that COP complete is out, can't wait

i just wish someone modded it so you could play thru the games co-op, that would f*cking rule going thru the zone with your friends as a group of stalkers.
 

toyota

Lifer
Apr 15, 2001
12,957
1
0
so you guys that love it get a different version? maybe it was just me, Rifterut, and a few other folks that got the version where enemies could pick us off in the dark a 100 yards away, through walls and through train cars with ease at times? please tell me how that kind of crap can make somebody love a game if that was in your version.
 
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Rifter

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
11,522
751
126
so you guys that love it get a different version? maybe it was just me, Rifterut, and a few other folks that got the version where enemies could pick us off in the dark a 100 yards away, through walls and through train cars with ease at times? please tell me how that kind of crap can make somebody love a game if that was in your version.

This is what i dont get either, i just dont get how so many people can love a game so much with so many gamebreaking issues. However perhaps its like fallout 3, i had no issues with it and tons of people says it crashes on them every hour or so of gameplay. Maybe stalker just acts wonky on some peoples computers, i actually havent tried it since going to my i7 system from my phenom II system maybe i should try it again.
 

motsm

Golden Member
Jan 20, 2010
1,822
2
76
so you guys that love it get a different version? maybe it was just me, Rifterut, and a few other folks that got the version where enemies could pick us off in the dark a 100 yards away, through walls and through train cars with ease at times? please tell me how that kind of crap can make somebody love a game if that was in your version.
Never had this stuff happen to me in a modless version of SOC or CS. So yes, you are apparently playing a different version, experiencing bugs I haven't through multiple completions, remembering exaggerations out of frustration, using a radically different play style than me so who knows what could happen, or are having trouble understanding certain mechanics.

The only thing I've experienced that you bring up as a problem is that the starting pistol is inaccurate. However, it's mostly from recoil, as the first round you shoot is accurate enough to get a killing head shot within a relatively safe distance, so I don't see it as a problem. To be honest, I always had more fun in the STALKER games when I was a weakling anyway, as it requires more tactics than when your decked out and can soak damage.
 

dpodblood

Diamond Member
May 20, 2010
4,020
1
81
Yeah my problem is more with the glitchyness of the game, not with the difficulty itself. For instance I was working my way towards the mission "kill the sales representative." I got killed by some bandits on the way there, and when I reloaded my save the mission had disappeared from my list.

I'm not expecting a hold-your-hand experience like CoD or anything, but some instruction would be nice. Like I said I would love to read the manual, but the game didn't come with one. If anyone has a PDF copy that would be great.
 

motsm

Golden Member
Jan 20, 2010
1,822
2
76
If anyone has a PDF copy that would be great.
Hmm, popped in my DVD and it has Adobe Reader on it, implying the manual would be there, but it's not. It might only install with the game unfortunately. You'd probably be better off looking at a walk through online anyway though, should be much more informative.
 

toyota

Lifer
Apr 15, 2001
12,957
1
0
lol, I found a post of mine from 2008 on a different forum. I will just copy and paste.


This game pisses me off more than any other I have ever played. I am on 1.004 and the amount of bugs is still ridiculous. I actually just started back playing the game after getting away from it for a few months because it was making me so mad. I really want to like the game but its numerous bugs, flaws, and inconsistent fight scenes kill my appreciation for it.

I may suck at games but playing on easy shouldnt be this hard or aggravating for any game. There are times I can dump clips of ammo in to somebody at close range and they dont even flinch. Strangely there other times I can pick somebody off with the pistol at 100 meters. It just doesnt make any freaking sense. Enemies sure as hell dont have any trouble taking me out.

I have snuck up on people with my light on and they didnt notice me but other times they can pick me off while I am hiding in pitch darkness. I have been shot through concrete walls, floors and train cars at times when nobody should have known I was even there. Also enemies have randomly spawned in locked rooms behind me. Stupid and frustrating to say the least.

I had to consult a walkthrough to figure out that the scripted parts didnt always work out. Kruglov for example was standing prone and not moving instead of laying on the ground for me to wake him. I had to repeat this part FOUR times for it to work properly. There are also numerous script, clipping and graphical issues in the game that would take a whole page to complain about.

I really want to like this game and at times its quite fun. The inside scenes are stunning on full dynamic lighting and easily blows any other game away visually. Outside the graphics arent that great but the weather effects are pretty cool. The game really needed to be more polished before being released and the damage done by those keen eye enemies really needs to be more balanced especially on the easy setting. I could bitch all day about this game but I hate typing so Im done.
 
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